Happy New Year! (And customer service returns to normal on January 5th)

Happy New Year to all of our amazing, patient customers. We hope you have a fun (and safe!) night tonight. (Tonight will be a perfect night to venture outside to watch the sunset – and the celestial show that will appear soon after.)

Due to a wide range of minor catastrophes – icy roads, delayed road trips to visit family, experiencing tire chains for the first time, the flu, and also just a lot of fun visiting with the people we love, our customer service response time has been delayed. Everything will be back to normal by Monday, January 6th and we will be working through this weekend to respond to your emails. We apologize for the delays. We hope to make it up to everyone in January/February with some very exciting news regarding products, fabrics, and fabric colors…things you’ve been asking for for years!

A Late Happy Holidays from the TOM BIHN Crew

Happy Holidays to all of you from all of us! Sorry it’s a bit late – weather made for very interesting driving conditions, but we’re all now safe and sound with our families. We hope you had a great holiday! If you need to reach us, send us an email or leave a message on our voicemail.

We made it in – orders will ship tomorrow!

It took three hours and driving 40mph the whole way to Seattle, but we made it in and all orders for in-stock items will ship tomorrow. Woohoo! We’ll post pictures of the incredible (for Seattle) snow and ice tomorrow. For those of you in Seattle who want to brave the streets to visit our store, call us at 206-652-4123 or email us at seattle@tombihn.com – we’ll be here and ready to let you into the showroom until 12:30pm tomorrow (Monday).

TOM BIHN Snow on the Seattle Ferry

Above: a cell phone picture of a sign on the ferry we rode over on tonight. There are a few hours left to take advantage of our $10 UPS 2nd Day Air (just in time for Christmas) shipping special…

UPS 2nd Day Air Shipping $10 (This weekend only!)

Because of today’s closure due to snow we are offering $10 UPS 2nd Day Air shipping on all U.S. orders – this weekend only (offer expires at 12:00 a.m. Sunday, December 21st.)

Orders placed for in-stock items will be shipped on Monday, December 22nd. Orders shipped Monday via UPS 2nd Day Air are guaranteed for delivery on Wednesday, December 24th. No code is required for this offer – simply select $10 UPS 2nd Day Air shipping at checkout.

TOM BIHN Holiday Shipping Special

UPS Winter Weather Delays

The winter weather in many areas of the country is causing UPS delivery delays. Click here for more information on weather delays and affected areas.

Future Looks Review of the Checkpoint Flyer

“The Checkpoint Flyer has become my laptop bag of choice for every day use and not once have I been disappointed with any aspect of the bag. Whether you are looking for a bag to ease the security screening process at the airport or you just need a quality bag to protect your laptop, the Checkpoint Flyer would make a great choice. The initial price might scare some people away, but when you consider that this bag has been designed with high quality materials and superb craftsmanship, the Checkpoint Flyer is an investment that will last for many years.”

Read the full review.

TOM BIHN Checkpoint Flyer Reviewed by Futurelooks

The Swift: Shipping Six Colors (Five Colors Sold Out)

The Swift knitting bag is in-stock and shipping in the following color combinations: Kelly/Navy, Plum/Black, Storm/Cocoa, Cocoa/Pink, Steel/Steel and Black/Black. Colors Olive/Plum, Navy/Storm, Pink/Steel, Pink/Plum, and Cocoa/Olive are available for pre-order and ship by early February ’09.

TOM BIHN Swift Knitting Bag

“I received my Swift today. After years of knitting & collecting knitting bags, I have finally obtained that perfect bag. I am amazed at the amount of room, the pouches, just everything about this bag! It is light weight, has sturdy fabric, has room for all of my knitting must haves. The shoulder straps are just right. I’m going to my knitting group Thursday and I am planning to show the Swift off to all.
I do believe my Christmas arrived early this year. Keep up the good, no, great work!” – E.A.

It’s official: Today is a Snow Day

Road conditions were treacherous enough today here in Seattle that we asked our employees to stay home and be safe instead of attempting to come in. That means that no packages will be shipped today, and that our Seattle retail store is closed.

If you placed an online order between 12:00pm Thursday and 12:00pm Friday, (expecting that it would be shipped on Friday) don’t worry: we will upgrade your shipping to the next level at no additional charge, resulting in your order being delivered either on time or ahead of schedule.

If you had planned on visiting our Seattle store today, please call us at 1-800-729-9607 to place your order over the phone or place your order online through this Web site. UPS Ground shipping for orders within Washington state is free.

It’s snowing in Seattle…

Yes, we’re usually a little wimpy about snow in Seattle. But it’s snowed about 4″ already and the roads are pretty icy and dangerous. This means our Seattle Retail Store may be closed Friday (we are still going to do everything we can to get there to open it!) and, worst case scenario, we may not be able to ship out orders that day, either. In the unlikely event that we are unable to ship orders Friday, we will upgrade all orders to the next shipping method at no charge and ship them out on Monday – resulting in the orders being delivered on time or ahead of schedule.

Questions, concerns? Call us at 1-800-729-9607 (no answer? We’re on the other line with a customer – please leave a message and we’ll give you a quick call back) or email us. Don’t worry: we will make sure you get your new bag in time for Christmas.

Snow Day at TOM BIHN

Checkpoint Flyer #2 in PC World’s Top Ten Gift Guide

TOM BIHN Checkpoint Flyer Review in PC World Gift Guide
“I’ve tested nearly a half dozen checkpoint-friendly laptop bags by now. But the one I like the most so far is also the best looking: Tom Bihn’s Checkpoint Flyer ($220).”
TOM BIHN Checkpoint Flyer Review in PC World Gift Guide
“Checkpoint Flyer is among the more expensive bags of its kind, however. And you’ll need to buy a shoulder strap for an additional $20 or $30. But if the frequent flyer on your list–that would be you–needs a new laptop bag and values style and sensible design, this is the one to get.” – James A. Martin, PC World

See the PC World blog entry: 10 Cool Gifts: Gadgets, Accessories, and Oddities